On the origin of Revolution

THE Galápagos Islands are wrapped in the cotton wool of conservation. Few places are protected by as many environmental restrictions as the archipelago where Charles Darwin first conceived the idea of evolution through natural selection. These "enchanted isles" are biologically unique. Eleven of the original 14 or 15 subspecies of giant tortoises remain. Here too are the world's only sea lizard (the marine iguana), the flightless cormorant, a nocturnal gull and 13 native finches.

But people live here too, and they are fighting the conservationists every inch of the way. The Galápagos are home to 14 000 islanders who, together with thousands of migrants from mainland Ecuador, want to exploit the islands' natural resources. Early this month - for the third time in two years - armed protesters besieged scientists at the islands' research station, demanding that they be allowed to fish the coastal waters and build hotels. On 16 ...

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